What
brand/model/year instrument(s) do you record and play out with?
For acoustics
there's nothing better than my beat-up old 1980 Yamaha FG160 which is so
warm and ballsy (ooh can I say that?) - and records like a champ. I even
installed a fabulous LR Baggs RT pickup in it and it sounds awesome now.
My mainstay acoustic guitar for live performances is an Ibanez AEL 20TRS‚
which I got in 2000. The tone is great and it never feeds back. From time
to time, I will change up with a backup Takamine on stage using it usually
only if I break a string.
For electrics,
I use a 2002 Ibanez GAX70‚ fairly inexpensive guitar - but I overhauled
the entire pickup system, and put in some serious vintage Seymour Duncan
pickups which make all the difference in the world - sounds like another
guitar now altogether. I also like playing a Fender 62 American Vintage
Stratocaster made of Rosewood.
What
brand/model/year amps and effects do you use?
I use different
amps - ranging from a 2000 Tech 21 Trademark 120 with footswitch - to the
1993 65 Fender Twin Reverb Vintage Reissue Series. I also like the 1993
Roland Jazz Chorus JC120‚ and boy if I could afford one, I would own a 2000
Matchless LG212 Lightning Series since I'm addicted to playing through them
in every studio where I've had the fortune to rehearse in and utilize one.
I'm old-school
when it comes to pedals. I just love my Boss stomp pedals. In the daisy
chain on my pedal board you'll see a DS1 for Distortion, a PH3 Phaser, CH1
Chorus, DD2 Delay, but I do like the Ibanez TS9DX Turbo Tube Screamer for
a crazy ‚ phat‚ vintage tube sound when necessary and recently added that
in after I read that it's one of Santana's favorites‚ (what a geek I am)
you know I just had to go out and buy one! (Still can't seem to play like
him though!)
Any special/favorite instrument tones/effects/approaches/techniques
you used/discovered in recording and/or performance that you really like?
Oh yeah‚ (this
is insane, but kind of cool) if I'm playing out live and want to get a more
electric sound without going completely electric, I stuff the sound hole
of my Acoustic Guitar with towels, put a feed-back buster in, and then boost
the mid-range frequencies while going through an amp instead of direct through
the house. I also use effects... even distortion sometimes, and the sum
total of it all is an almost strat-like sound, but the cool thing is you
can strum and pound on it and it feels exactly like an acoustic because
it is one. I tend to use heavier gauge strings and prefer a fairly high
action for the type of playing that I do. Tears up your fingers, and it's
a work-out but the payoff is a thicker, warmer and richer tone with more
bass.
For recording
Electrics, technology is so advanced these days, believe it or not, I hardly
ever use conventional amps anymore, since you can get the perfect desired
amp sound from a program which pops up on the computer at the control board.
It's crazy - they have every sound from that of a Fender to a Marshall and
even Matchless. When you're laying down a track, it sounds great and there
- so much less set-up and sound-check time, it's ridiculous!
For recording
Acoustics I love the (double-mic) technique. A mic at the sound-hole and
another mic overhead to get the room sound giving a wonderful full effect
and of course, if you double or triple the guitar track, it sounds amazingly
fat in the mix. I use a lot of percussive and rhythmic techniques in my
playing to achieve the hybrid Rock/Soul/Latin feel to my music so recording
this way with the acoustic, rather than plugging into the board or an amp
allows me to execute and achieve a better sound ultimately.
Who
are your main influences as an instrumentalist? Which artists? Which bands?
Which artists/bands were your favorites in your youth?
Oh boy‚ growing
up‚ I listened to so many people‚ rock gods like Van Halen,
Hendrix and Santana,
but I was definitely influenced by the surreal blues tones of Buddy
Guy, BB King and even the spit-fire
Bonnie Raitt‚ (love that girl!) OK‚ so I admit‚
I was also a bit of a die-hard James Taylor fan.
I worshipped every thing he wrote and played, and was deeply affected by
his innately beautiful harmonic lines. Later on, I got into different groups
and artists like Vertical Horizon, Incubus, Red Hot Chile Peppers,
Ani Di Franco, Dave Matthews and even the late Michael
Hedges who was a master of alternate tunings and ingenious
percussive as well as harmonic stylings - major influence on me. Funny thing
is, I have been compared to both Ani Di Franco and Dave Matthews and I just
have to laugh, cause I don't think I sound like either of them.
How
many different kinds of stringed/fretted instruments do you play? (e.g. -
guitars, banjos, mandolins, basses, etc.) Do you play any other instruments?
Wish I could
say that I was more versed in this realm, but of the stringed/fretted instruments,
I only play guitar at the moment. I do play keyboard and in elementary school
I played violin for several years, but subsequently dropped it in favor of
the guitar. I have this crazy notion though - I secretly fancy myself as a
bass player - and I know that one of these days, if I can ever find the time,
I will take some lessons.
Do
you play/compose/record only your own original music? Do you do any other
work in music‚ (e.g. teaching, recording session work, hired gun, producing,
etc.?) Does your playing appear on recordings of any other artists?
In this country if you play music - especially original music - unless you're
an international star, you have to find some way to feed your habit - so
yeah I do recordings, demos for other people, sometimes sing on jingles
or do voice-overs. I sang a couple of tracks on a project for
Joe Lynn Turner (Deep Purple), have arranged and co-produced
projects for other singer/songwriters. I've done weddings, corporate events,
you name it - and I thoroughly enjoy all aspects of music and the craft
itself. I teach guitar and voice and I have performed regularly in my hometown
of NYC as well as touring throughout the states and even abroad.
Is
there a particular favorite solo or part you played on a recording, or a certain
piece of composed music you wrote, that you feel represents your finest work?
I don't know
what any person could really consider my "finest piece of work"
since Dave Navarro would probably laugh himself
silly, but I'm sometimes proud of a tune I wrote called "Talk
To Me" off my first album. To perform this tune live
is always a challenge - it is truly what I would call deceivingly difficult.
It sounds very simple and lyrical, yet it continually changes meters, rhythmic
feel and drive, with a counterpoint between bass line, arpeggios and strums
as well as a simple lyrical lead. Thrown on top of that are some oddly inverted
chords giving the impression that two guitar parts are simultaneously playing.
Layered on top of all this, is the vocal line which is its own counterpoint.
I am also proud of the things my producers helped me to pull off on my second
album and current release called "What's
The Point".
Any
special thoughts on your instrument, and what it's meant to you in your life?
Let's put it
this way - if there were a fire in my house, the first thing I'd grab before
running out into the street would be my guitar! Music has been and will always
be for me - my drug of choice - my healing balm in life - my salvation - my
soul mate - and it's better than any therapy you could ever pay for.
Can you relate any special feelings or experiences about being
a glbt player in the mostly straight music world - especially regarding your
formative/learning years on your instrument?
It's funny, people
always ask this...but I never thought of myself as being different than anyone
else - I never entertained negative thoughts or allowed myself to be marginalized
or ostracized in anyway. Music is a universal language and it speaks to all
people alike. I always saw music as a way to break down barriers that divided
and separated people of different communities, and no matter what venue, or
audience I am performing to whether Gay, Straight, Black, White, Latino, Asian,
Christian, Jewish, you name it - I always feel that it is my obligation as
an artist to reach people across the board. No one has ever come up to me
at the end of the end of any show where I just played my ass off and exclaimed,
"Wow, you're a great bi-guitarist!!!" It's always, "Wow, woman
you rock", or "You're a great guitarist" - I view this as a
positive thing.
For
a glbt player‚ how does the overall music scene differ today from years ago?
Oh I definitely
see the lines getting blurred in the music business, with a lot more acceptance,
more opportunities, less overt prejudice, glbt artists in the mainstream
who are open like Melissa Etheridge, Ani Di Franco
(well at least for a time she was a lesbian - now I think she went straight
again?), even Boy George enjoys VH1 specials now
where he gets to speak freely and publicly about his "gayness"
- though I doubt superstars like Ricky Martin
and Clay Aiken will come clean just yet (the stakes
are probably still too high where their commercial careers are concerned),
and although we've made gains in the entertainment world, our society still
has so far to go in totally accepting and embracing all types of artists.
Any advice for young glbt players?
Let your music
guide you - let it be your heart‚your soul‚ your conscience. Remember- opinions
are like ass holes, everybody has one. So steer clear of bias and negativity
- and just do your thing proudly!
What
are your current and future musical projects?
I
just released my second album called "What's
The Point" with my band in November, and we're getting
ready to do a bunch of in-town gigs as well as a Northeastern tour. I'm
also involved with an organization called "Chicks with Guitars"
and my manager Belinda Stone of Hot
Cherry Records is coordinating a spring 2005 tour. We have
sponsorship and are getting some press so it's very exciting to see this
endeavor get off the ground. I am a featured artist in the MTA "Music
Under NY" program and perform regularly in the NYC subway
system. I was featured on ABC and NBC News on 2 different occasions and
now an independent filmmaker has decided to make a documentary about street
performers where I'll be featured, so I am thankful for all of these amazing
opportunities.
We're also in
the process of setting up a deal that (hush-hush) for radio and distribution
as well as film & TV music licensing, so that's cool too. The goal in 2005
is to open for a high-level or mid-line act to gain maximum exposure - maybe
even get picked up by a small Indie Label or Subsidiary. I'd like to work
with some other acts and different genres and varieties of music - I love
to experiment with sounds, beats, drum sampling - the possibilities are
endless...who knows - maybe I'll get to buy that Matchless Amp after all
in 2005. For now, if you want to hear music, look at scandalous pictures
or find out the goods on where we're playing next, stop by the website at:
www.nicolanicola.com
